Chatsworth and pizza

We met up with Gregor, mum Gemma and bump at Chatsworth House, Dad Nick was supposed to come only a plasterer or plumber was going to give them a quote for much needed work [as it transpired he didn't show - so not the best Saturday for Nick!!] The adventure playground was what occupied Elspeth and Gregor for almost the whole time we were there, there are fresh water play areas with Sand and Archimedes screws so transfer water - I had a great time... needless to say Elspeth and Gregor were filthy and wet, but much fun was had by all.

Gregor had his face painted

Following Chatsworth we went for Pizza at Fellucini in Bakewell - top nosh. And we even made it home in time for Robin Hood - at least the last 5 minutes anyway.

I have just discovered that they are repeating the man in green on Sunday at tea time so if we miss Saturday we can watch on Sunday...

Warmth

Well the heating has been fixed, after a much disrupted day... Sarah called to be told they'd be with her by midday. Still waiting at 4pm when I telephoned the house sounded, well chaotic. I'm sure the prospect of being sat in a cold dark house whilst the engineer prodded around by torchlight was not one that many would enjoy.

As it was it was fixed reasonably quickly as the electrician fitted the control box I bought last night, it should turn out to be a cheap job... a bit galling as it seems that I was in the right place looking for a blasted blown fuse, I didn't look in the fuse box upstairs by the hot water tank!! Could've saved the call out and the two days shivering.

I did try suggesting that as we'd managed quite well in the two days without heat we could economise and turn the heating down.... fortunately nothing was thrown at me as I headed for the car.

It's Chuffing Freezing

Why is it the household appliances all go wrong at the same time? I got a phone call from Sarah this afternoon as I was preparing papers for court:

"The heating doesn't work"

"What do you mean it doesn't work"

"The control box thingy [techincal language] is dead, it doesn't work"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Nothing, I just thought you should know..."

[mmm resist the comment that could be made about non male gender and logic] well ok, almost!

So I sped home from work, forsaking the lure of the gym, to return to a very cold house, I fiddled and tweaked [because I am a man and that is what we do best when we have no idea what to do other than call an expert, but for some reason pride (or economics) makes you want to have a go first!] to no avail, I even went to a well known DIY store to buy a new control box for the central heating and water- alas £42 down the toilet at that stage - unless when the expert comes out he decides we need a new one then I suppose it's "money well spent".

So it's still chuffing freezing!! Double duvets and socks all round tonight...

The Twits and the Seal

If you meet Elspeth and she says she'd like a "twit" she means a "twix", of course!!

It seems as if we now have a seal rather than a younger daughter, her "crawl" has evolved into a drag, largely gone is the stage where she teeters on her knees before throwing herself forward onto her stomach with careless abandon [often ejecting part of the meal/liquid she's just consumed on impact], and the new means of motion is "the drag". For the most part rejecting the use of her legs she places her hands on the ground and drags herself along, even better if there's something to grip onto and pull herself up against.

Most things need to be nailed to the floor or put about 6 inches off the ground out of her reach. I was too late to save the poor speaker and returned home to find it limply laying on it's side - Sarah decided after the 5th or 6th time to just leave it lying forlorny on the ground rather than right it.

Sarah had done some ironing and the ironing board was rescued, rather Jemima was rescued from having the ironing board come crashing down on her head.

She'll have forearms and shoulders like a rugby player if this carries on.

If you've seen any war movie you can probably picture the style of motion...

Jemima crawls... well almost

Not content with rolling to the desired location Jemima has evolved her motion... she starts on all fours, either on her toes or more recently on her knees hands out before her... she shuffles her knees forward a little and then with all the balletic grace of Big Daddy [does that age me?] she belly flops forward arms up as if she is sky diving, this moves her all of 4-6 inches. No wonder she is always a little bit sick, the force on her stomach pushing the food out... might explain the hunger and the table eating....

It's Dark

It's 16.40 and it;s gloomy outside - winter will be here soon - roll on March!!

The extra hour

Well that time of year again when the clocks change... I managed to enjoy the benefit of the extra hour this year, pulling the duvet up over my head and falling asleep. We'd done our best to wear Elspeth out, there's little point wearing Jemima out as she is a law unto herself and would seem to be fitted with super duracels or some form of self perpetuating rechargable battery [like those Kinetic watches] the more she moves the more energy she seems to have.... are straight jackets for babies deemed inhuman and/or degrading treatment?

Elspeth woke, without the benefit of an alarm at what she thought was her normal hour - 6.30, but it was 5.30... singing for a while she eventually shouted "is it time to get up yet".... soon there were 4 in the bed -it's a king size, but really it's not THAT big.

Elspeth was full of beans and doing small jumps on our bed near the headboard, I asked her as politely as you can at nearly 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning to stop, in stepping away from the headboard she planted her size 9's and all her weight squarely where stars shot across my eyes. Doubled in pain I heard a little voice exclaim "that was a surprise"... too right it was a surprise!

Wild sunrise

After my derogatory comment I have to eat humble pie, I got up this morning to a beautiful sunrise, perhaps God's county is [South] Yorkshire afterall...